It's only about an hour or so from here, but it's a pretty long hour, filled with winding roads that travel through small towns with free roaming chickens and fire wood for sale at every other home or so. Hubby is on call at the hospital up there this weekend so we headed up there for the day to keep him company. We've been there several times before, but this time of the year is by far the most beautiful!
The lupines are out everywhere:
And the covered bridges are the perfect accent to the lush green grass and acres and acres of sprawling farmland...
We visited our usual antique/salvage stores and I picked up a vintage sampler and apron. Any ideas of what I should do with this sampler?
I've been looking for the perfect halter style bib apron pattern for a while now and haven't found it... so I'm going to make a pattern based on this apron. I love the hand-embroidered leaves and the style.
And it looks like I've found another use for my hanging flower baskets :)
This week has been a bit crazy... I love these long summer days, but they honestly feel shorter in a way! Sydney wakes up at 6 am, takes one nap, and goes to bed much later than in the winter (despite my purchase and installation of blackout shades). I'm doing much less sewing than I'd like, but it's getting done when I have the chance, and when I know I'll enjoy it. No sense in being stressed about it!
One day this week I attacked our yard for ~ 4 hours while Syd napped/stayed under Hubby's watch. We have yet to landscape the yard (we are having a big excavation project done within the next couple of weeks, so it made no sense to spend $ on something that will be destroyed by all of the big trucks); I also never got around last year to digging up the dead "stuff" in the front flower beds... so..... after mowing I went to town and now it looks great! Can't wait to add some plants/bushes! While clearing out the front, I found a small patch of irises that quickly found a new home on the downstairs bathroom sink:
And this morning while shooting some belt pics outside, I found another grouping of irises starting to bloom - gorgeous!
On the craft front, I have to admit that I've been bitten by another bug.... Jewelry making. I've fought this one for a while, but like knitting, I guess it's time has come :) Two friends up here love making jewelry, so at our craft night last week we all decided to try it out (and are now hooked!) Here's a pic of some of my loot- most is from North Star Gems in Bristol, NH - cute shop with a friendly and helpful owner:
Could I possibly have any more earth-toned beads?!
Here's a necklace that I'm working on - I'll get a better picture taken when I'm done:
Aside from being another fun thing to do with "the girls", I'm enjoying this craft b/c it gives pretty immediate gratification. Not like spending 2-3 hours on a bag.... Or knitting a sweater or scarf. You can have a new necklace or bracelet in less than an hour! I'm still very much a beginner, so I'm sure there's lots more complicated techniques out there that take more time. I doubt I'll strive to make anything too complicated - I like simple and pretty. Luckily that's fast :)
Speaking of knitting, I picked up some new goodies last weekend in VT to make Syd a warm fall/winter sweater. I even get to learn to make a pom-pom! The pattern is #27 from Monkeysuits, and the yarn is Baby Alpaca Chunky by Cascade Yarns. I'm hoping to start this once I finish up the website next week. I haven't knit in a while and miss it!
Oh! Almost forgot about these goodies! I made some embellished towels for "the girls" with the ribbon that I mentioned a few posts back. Definitely check out LFN ribbons - they are so unique! My favorite is the little veggies... or the pears.... or the cutlery... it's a hard decision! The lab ribbon is a stnd. novelty ribbon (not by LFN), but it is reversible and features yellow labs with a black background.
And this was a little something for a friend in MA - yes, it's still cold enough sometimes at night to need a fleece sleeper (on the left). The onesie on the right has a little "j" for Josh - check out J.Caroline Creative's link for the perfect letter appliques (click and print - love it!)
Lastly (I promise!) I made another of my favorite bag (I'm thinking of calling it "THE POUCH" - anyone have any other ideas?) for a friend and myself. I love how functional it is - I put my keys and cell phone in the front pouches, and my wallet, diaper, wipes, etc. inside. There's another outside pocket on the reverse side that's great for other odds and ends. My friend uses the front elastic pouches for baby bottles. At last a bag that will be used after the bottle years! I'll definitely be featuring this on the website!
Have a great weekend! What are you all up to? :) Kris
1 comment:
I love the bag! Sounds as though you had a busy and productive weekend. Can't say I am up to much other than the norm!
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